The Declaration of Independence (1776)

Thomas Jefferson

Table of Contents

Key Historical Figures

The The Declaration of Independence, completed and signed in July of
1776, marked the official separation between the 13 colonies and Great
Britain. An armed struggle between the colonies and Britain had begun just over
a year before, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The formal
declaration of independence established the new American revolutionary
government and officially declared war against Great Britain. The primary
purpose of the declaration was to assist the Second Continental Congress in
obtaining aid from foreign countries. The document also clearly outlines the
history of abuses the colonists had suffered under British rule since the end of
the French and Indian war in 1763.

Prior to the French and Indian war, the colonists had enjoyed over a hundred
years of "salutary neglect." In other words, although laws were in place to
maintain the subordinate status of the colonies to Great Britain, they were
usually not enforced. After the French and Indian war, which increased
Britain's share of North America, King George III and Parliament sought to
establish firm control over the land newly obtained from France, and to help pay
war debts by taxing the colonies. They did this by enacting a number of acts
that either taxed the colonists or placed stricter controls on trade. These
laws included the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Tax (1765), the Townshend Acts
(1767), and the Tea Act (1773). Additionally, Parliament enacted the Quartering
Act (1765) which forced colonists to help pay for the British military stationed
in the colonies.

Colonists initially protested these acts through peaceful means such as
petition, boycott, and committees. They argued that since they had no
representation in Parliament, they could not be rightfully taxed by Parliament.
As their petitions were repeatedly ignored, and taxes continually added,
colonists turned to increasingly more destructive actions, like the Boston Tea
Party of 1774. In response to this rebellious action by the Massachusetts
Colony, the King and Parliament exacted punishment through legislation referred
to by colonists as the "Intolerable Acts."

The Intolerable Acts sparked the colonies to call an inter-colonial congress for
the purpose of discussing a unified response to the King and Parliament. This
First Continental Congress, as it was called, met in September 1774 in
Philadelphia. All 13 colonies were present except for Georgia. The Congress
drafted a declaration claiming that the Intolerable Acts were unconstitutional,
that the colonists retained the same civil rights as English citizens, and that
they would boycott all English goods until reconciliation was reached. The
negotiations never happened. Instead, tensions continued to mount between the
colonists and Great Britain. The First Continental Congress agreed to meet
again in May 1775 if no reconciliation had been reached. At this Second
Continental Congress, all thirteen colonies were present.

It took 14 months, military mobilization, persuasive pamphleteering, and the
further abuse of colonial rights before all 13 colonies agreed to pursue
independence. At issue were political as well as practical concerns. Upper
class colonists tended to fear the lower class gaining too much power through
revolution. Middle class colonists could not afford to see their businesses
continue to decline due to trade restrictions. All colonists resented that the
King and Parliament denied them representative government and their civil
rights. However, they also doubted whether they would be strong enough to
resist the British military.

Early in 1776, Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense, which
won over many colonists to the cause of independence. Meanwhile, the congress
had sent the King an Olive-Branch Petition as a last effort towards
reconciliation. Not only did he refuse to respond to the colonists' plea, he
sent an additional 20,000 troops to North America and hired mercenaries from
Germany to bolster his military force. An all-out war seemed imminent and even
moderate delegates realized that in order to obtain much-needed military support
from France, they would have to declare themselves wholly independent from Great
Britain. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence
in June of 1776. The Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of
independence that consisted of John Adams (MA), Benjamin Franklin (PA), Thomas
Jefferson (VA), Robert Livingston (NY) and Roger Sherman (CT).

The job of drafting the Declaration of Independence fell to the youngest
member of the committee, Thomas Jefferson. In composing the declaration,
Jefferson drew on ideas from the Enlightenment, especially those of John
Locke. Not only did the declaration represent a milestone in the history of
the United States, it also turned the political philosophies of 18th century
Europe into real political practice.